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Anti - Transcendentalism

Anti - Transcendentalism. Hawthorne and Melville. The Darker Visions. Not all authors of the period as thought-provoking as the transcendentalists. Saw the universe as confusing and difficult. Evil and suffering had to be explained, accounted for. Life was ultimately mysterious.

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Anti - Transcendentalism

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  1. Anti-Transcendentalism Hawthorne and Melville

  2. The Darker Visions • Not all authors of the period as thought-provoking as the transcendentalists. • Saw the universe as confusing and difficult. • Evil and suffering had to be explained, accounted for. • Life was ultimately mysterious.

  3. Significant Authors • Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) • He had connections to the Transcendentalist Club, but instead of “assert[ing] human freedom, Hawthorne reminds us of human limitations.” • Called his stories “allegories of the heart” • “An atmosphere of hidden depravity” in all his best fiction.

  4. Significant Authors • Herman Melville (1819-1891) • Won significant fame and following for his first five novels – adventure tales of seafaring. • Upon publication of Moby-Dick, his popularity began to decline. • Last years of his life spent working as a bureaucrat, bitter and dissatisfied, and almost forgotten.

  5. Nathaniel Hawthorne • Descended from a judge in the Salem witch trials • Father, a sea captain, died when Hawthorne was four • Lived in seclusion for 12 years in Salem, ‘learning to write’

  6. Common Themes • Hawthorne’s work preoccupied with effects of Puritanism in New England • Stories often considered allegorical • Stories express mental conflict • Described himself as a writer “who has been burrowing, to his utmost ability, into the depths of our common nature, for the purposes of psychological romance.”

  7. Literary Style • Hawthorne’s idea of romance versus novel • Not entirely faithful to reality • Does not portray real people, but does remain true to human emotion • Hawthorne’s renown based on • Sense of structure • Moral insight • Mastery of symbolism and allegory

  8. Symbolism: Review • A symbol is a concrete item which represents an abstract idea. • Symbols may be called conventional, meaning that they are recognized in many cultures and many eras.

  9. Bibliography • Crews, Frederick C. Introduction. Great Short Works of Hawthorne. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Harper & Row, 1967. • Hart, James D. and Phillip W. Leininger, eds. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 6E. New York: OUP, 1995. • “Hawthorne, Nathaniel.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004.  Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 7 Dec. 2004 <http://school.eb.com/ eb/article?tocId=3067>. • “Hawthorne, Nathaniel.” Hart and Leininger. 278-79. • “Melville, Herman.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004.  Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 9 Dec. 2004 <http://school.eb.com/eb/ article?tocId=4764>. • “Melville, Herman.” Hart and Leininger. 425-26.

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